LIBREVILLE - Gabon will hold presidential, legislative and local elections on August 26, the country's government announced Tuesday.

The Council of Ministers announced the "convening of the electoral college for the election of the President of the Republic" plus members of the national assembly and municipal councils in August.

While President Ali Bongo Ondimba has not yet said whether he will stand again, he is widely expected to run for re-election against a very divided opposition.

Bongo's powerful Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) holds strong majorities in both houses of parliament and is pushing for the president to announce he will run again.

Bongo came to power in 2009 when he took over from his father, Omar Bongo Ondimba, and was narrowly re-elected in 2016. … The Bongo family has ruled the country for 55 years already, with the opposition regularly branding them a "dynastic power".

Economic potential

Gabon is one of the richest African countries, in terms of GDP, due to its petrol, timber and manganese production, as well as its low population at only 2.3 million people.

It is amongst the top producers of petroleum in sub-Saharan African, with the resource accounting for 38.5% of its GDP and 70.5% of its export revenue.

"Despite its economic potential, the country is struggling to translate the wealth of its resources into sustainable and inclusive growth", the World Bank said in 2022. A third of the country's inhabitants live below the poverty line.